Linda Reinke

Vol. 16
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2nd
quarter
2013
A Note From the IAGMASEP President
Hopefully everyone had a great semester. As we get ready to wind down for
the summer, I wanted to give you an update.
The regional conferences are complete and again were well attended. There
was support from General Motors, Raytheon Professional Services LLC (RPS)
and the member schools. Thank you to everyone who supported and attended
these conferences. We hope you found your regional conference to be
informative and enjoyable.
Planning is well underway for the annual conference, which will be held at the
Dearborn Inn, located in Dearborn, MI. The dates are October 20 – 23, so
please mark your calendars. We will have an off-site dinner event at the
Henry Ford Museum (www.hfmgv.org) on Monday, October 21. You’re
welcome to bring any guests for this evening event; however, there will be a
pass-through cost of approximately $100 per person. This includes entrance
to the museum, dinner, and non-alcoholic beverages. The museum will be
closed to the public during our event, and we have it rented to walk around at
your leisure for approximately six hours. Make sure you bring your cameras.
The prices will be figured out shortly, so watch your email for the conference
registration packet, which will be sent out by the end of June.
I am very excited to announce that we have a signed agreement with
General Motors and are able to move forward with ASEPwear. We’re currently
exploring different companies that could provide the services we are looking
for, and hope to make a presentation at this year’s annual conference.
For us to provide you with a successful conference, we need your input.
Please provide your regional VPs with information regarding the speakers,
breakouts, presentations, etc. you would like to see at upcoming conferences.
Thank you and have a great summer!
Linda Reinke
Linda Reinke
IAGMASEP President
Vietnam to GM ASEP Graduate via Iowa
Submitted by Jerry Burns, Des Moines Area Community College
Quang Nguyen knows the value of a GM
Automotive Service Educational Program
(ASEP) degree. In fact, he travelled half
way around the world to enroll in a
GM ASEP school.
The 25-year old Nguyen lives in Vietnam
with his wife. Nguyen said he looked at
the GM ASEP website (www.gmasep.org)
and entered the zip code of Des Moines,
IA, where his uncle lives, to see if there
were any GM ASEP classes nearby. He
found that Des Moines Area Community
College (DMACC) offers GM ASEP at its
nearby Ankeny campus.
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Nguyen talked with DMACC Automotive
Technology Program Chair Jerry Burns
Quang Nguyen (left) traveled from Vietnam to attend school
and received sponsorship from Willis
at Des Moines Area Community College. Here he accepts
Auto Campus. He’s thankful that Willis Auto
the first "International GM ASEP Student" award from
Campus Dealer Principal Rich Willis and
Instructor Randy Peters (right).
Service Director Terry McMurry sponsored
him for the two-year program, knowing that he could not accept a full-time position with the
dealership upon his graduation because he was returning to his native country.
McMurry said he, Willis, and others discussed sponsoring Nguyen and decided it was the right
thing to do. “Quang is really good with electrical problems,” said McMurry. “He probably knows
as much about electricity as anybody here. We turned him loose on a wiring issue one day and
three hours later he had it fixed.”
Nguyen also speaks highly of the DMACC automotive instructors. “The teachers here are
friendly,” said Nguyen. “Greg Seaman, Jerry Burns, Mark Ambrecht, Jeff Calkin and Randy
Peters are great teachers who teach you what you need to know. I feel very prepared to work
on vehicles. I’ve learned about technology, electronics, diagnosing problems and how to fix
them, and how to use a service manual.”
Nguyen, who earned a Computer Engineering Software degree from Hanoi University of
Science and Technology before coming to the United States, said he easily adapted to English.
Six months before he left Vietnam, he started going on the Internet and listening to the radio
to learn English.
Vietnam is a small, densely populated country. “It’s very crowded,” said Nguyen. “It’s very
rare to own a car in Vietnam. Maybe only one out of every 100 people own a car. It’s just too
expensive to own a car; it’s considered a luxury. Most people use a moped or small bike.”
He owns a small car shop in Vietnam called Luxury Auto Repair, which employs ten people.
His shop works on a lot of German cars such as Mercedes and BMW, but his favorite vehicle
is a Cadillac. Darcy Hoch, the Cadillac shop foreman at Willis Auto Campus, said Nguyen was
always interested in Cadillacs. “He had said there are few, if any, Cadillac dealers in Vietnam,”
2nd Quarter 2013
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said Hoch, “so if there's a problem with a Cadillac, they have to ship the vehicle to China to
get repaired and that’s very expensive.”
“My grandpa had a Cadillac and now so do I,” said Nguyen. “I own a 2002 Cadillac Deville
DTS here and a 2010 Cadillac Escalade SUV in Vietnam. Thanks to GM ASEP, I look forward to
working on Cadillacs back in Vietnam.”
“After I graduate, I’ll go back home and work in my shop,” said Nguyen. “I will be a certified
technician. In fact, I will be the only certified GM technician in Vietnam because I’m the first to
come to the States.”
GM ASEP Education Sets Stage for Success
Hard work and a GM ASEP education equals a winning future for students and graduates.
GM ASEP Program Honors Graduate Bobby Baillargeon has launched Bobby Baillargeon
Motorsports, a company that fields a fully fabricated circle track stock car series built inhouse. In July 2012, Baillargeon also co-founded Performance Unlimited of NH. Baillargeon
successfully races up and down the east coast from St. Croix, Canada, to Elgin, South Carolina.
“The automotive field is an exciting adventure every day with hybrid and electric cars vastly
changing the industry,” says Baillargeon, who graduated from Lakes Region Community College
(LRCC) in Laconia, New Hampshire. Baillargeon received New Hampshire (NH) Automotive
Education Foundation scholarships in 2002 and 2003 totaling $1,500. “My wife, Tara, and I
have purchased a home in Kingston where we now live with our 2-year-old daughter, Alison.
Life is good!”
In addition to Baillargeon’s entrepreneurial
endeavors, he has continued as a GM
Master Certified Technician at Holloway
Buick GMC in Portsmouth, Baillargeon’s
original sponsoring dealer while he was in
college at LRCC.
The Barre Regional Vocational Center
and Cody Chevrolet (Montpelier, VT), a
long-time sponsor of GM ASEP students
attending LRCC, is again helping student
technicians grow and hone their skills.
GM ASEP Class of 2014 students Neal
Foster, Montpelier, VT, (left) took first
place and Travis LaPerle, East Barre, VT
(right) took second place at the NH Skills
Automotive Competition in Exeter in
March.
Tyler Whittemore from Barre, VT, GM
ASEP Class of 2015, won gold at Vermont
National Skills Contest. Tyler will attend
LRCC’s GM ASEP in the Fall of 2013. Both
GM ASEP Class of 2014 students Neal Foster (left) took
Tyler and Neal will be traveling to Kansas City 1st Place and Travis LaPerle (right) claimed 2nd Place at the
New Hampshire Skills Automotive Competition.
for the National Skills Contest in June.
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2nd Quarter 2013
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Chevrolet Expands GM ASEP in Thailand
Chevrolet has increased its commitment to education in Thailand by expanding GM ASEP to
train the next generation of automotive technicians.
“Chevrolet will work closely with 10 vocational schools, all across the country — from
Ubon Ratchathani to Songkhla — to educate and train the next generation of professional
automotive technicians,” says Martin Apfel, president of GM’s Southeast Asia Operations.
GM ASEP combines formal classroom training with hands-on work experience at dealership
service centers, giving students an inside track to a career with Chevrolet.
Chevrolet Thailand will provide classrooms, tools, workshops, modern diagnostic technology,
model engines and vehicles to help GM ASEP graduates enter the workforce with the skills
they need to succeed.
“It’s a great example of how Chevrolet is working together with the Thai government to
grow the auto manufacturing industry and develop the economy. It’s a win-win scenario for
everyone involved,” Apfel added.
Chevrolet Thailand has so far invested more than 61.5 million baht (over $2 million) in the
technician training program including the vehicle donation. Apfel also announced the donation
of 10 Chevrolet Colorado pickup trucks to the vocational schools selected to participate in
GM ASEP.
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Chevrolet Thailand increased its commitment to education by growing the GM ASEP program across the country. They
will provide classrooms, tools, workshops, modern diagnostic technology, model engines and vehicles to help GM ASEP
grads enter the workforce with the skills they need to succeed.
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Chevrolet is growing rapidly in Thailand: by the end of 2013, the automaker will have 120
dealerships in the country, and about 150 qualified technicians are needed to staff the growing
number of after-sales service centers to maintain high levels of customer satisfaction.
Chevrolet vehicles built at the General Motors manufacturing facility in Rayong feature
increasingly sophisticated technology, such as the Duramax diesel engines that provide the
power for the Chevy Trailblazer SUV and Colorado pickup, or the AT6 found under the hood of
the Captiva SUV. The next generation of automotive technicians needs to be trained to service
and manufacture alternative fuel-powered engines that can run on ethanol (E85).
With Thailand’s emerging profile as a regional auto manufacturing hub, more jobs are opening
up for qualified service technicians, and students enrolled at vocational schools are taking
advantage of the opportunities provided by GM ASEP. In 2011, 524 students graduated with
GM ASEP certifications; and in 2012, 704 students enrolled to study under the program.
Students admitted to GM ASEP who go through training at certified Chevrolet service centers
have the opportunity to achieve Technician and Master Technician ratings, with the potential
to one day become Service Managers. So far in Thailand, about 50 GM ASEP students have
landed internships and jobs with Chevrolet dealers.
In addition, students admitted to GM ASEP must complete intensive coursework covering both
theory and practice. Training experts from Chevrolet carefully monitor the students’ progress
throughout the 12-course curriculum. Chevrolet provides additional training to ASEP teachers,
and works closely together with the vocational schools to improve the educational experience.
GM ASEP Committee Updates
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News from the Curriculum Committee as submitted by Darrin Marshall, Chair
The Curriculum Committee is working hard on producing the Engine/Engine Performance
book, instructor information, and power points. Jeff Rehkopf has the outline nearly ready and
is waiting on the results of the review process. Each chapter will be reviewed this summer
and the book and its instructor information should be available late this year. We will keep the
committee up to date in order to ensure the GM ASEP instructors are aware of its availability.
After the Brakes/Steering and Suspension book was complete, the committee began working
on the Electrical/HVAC book. It was decided to postpone work on these subject areas
temporarily due to the fact that the Pearson textbooks which we pull from to develop our GM
ASEP books are all being updated at this time. Waiting on those updates to be complete will
ensure that the GM ASEP books are also as up to date as possible when released.
Todd Dawn of GM is working diligently with RPS to get a few technical videos made available
to GM ASEP instructors. Some of the video considerations are the operation of a turbo, torque
converter, planetary gear, direct injector, and direct injection pump just to name a few. This
should be a great addition to the instructor guides and power points.
CONTACT US
Have a story idea, question or concern? Use the “Help/Support” feature on the Center of
Learning website at www.centerlearning.com. And don’t forget you can retrieve any GM
ASEP communication under Resources>Communications.
Additional information can also be found under Resources>Dealer Recruitment
Toolbox>Recruitment & Retention Practices.
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2nd Quarter 2013
GM Gives Tri-C’s Auto Program a Needed Spark
By Carolyn Kovach of Cuyahoga Community College
Cuyahoga Community College’s (Tri-C®) GM ASEP received a new addition to its training facility
on the Western Campus. General Motors recently donated a 2013 Chevrolet Spark to the
automotive training program, providing students hands-on experience with the new car.
The Spark is Chevrolet’s first mini-car for the U.S. and Canadian markets and comes with
technically advanced features such as a Chevrolet MyLink info-tainment system and electric
power steering.
“We are proud to support training programs that prepare the next generation of GM
technicians,” said Todd Dawn, GM ASEP program manager.
Through Tri-C’s cooperation with GM and ACDelco, GM ASEP trains highly specialized service
technicians for GM dealers and ACDelco Total Service Support shops. GM ASEP training
combines automotive service, academic coursework and real-world internship experiences
to prepare students for careers as automotive technicians. GM ASEP teaches exclusively on
current GM products and incorporates advanced automotive technical training with a strong
academic foundation of math, reading, electronics, as well as analytical and technical skills.
“Donated vehicles are vital to ASEP because they allow students the hands-on experience they
need,” said Ted Schafer, assistant professor and GM ASEP coordinator at Tri-C. “Our program
goes beyond the classroom, and we couldn’t do it without the ongoing support of GM.”
The National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) certifies Tri-C’s GM ASEP
in all eight ASE categories.
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Tri-C students Ian Bond (left), Kevin Rozman (center) and Tyler Hardman (right) work on the new Chevy Spark at the
Western Campus’ automotive training facility. All three have landed jobs with GM dealerships.
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